Since we're well into December, I thought it was time to kick of the annual Wetpixel tradition Your Favourite Image Of 2013
Each year we ask you to share your one favourite underwater image taken this year. And part of the tradition is that everyone cheats and posts more than one! For inspiration here are the threads from previous years:
Favourites 2010
Favourites 2009
Favourites 2008
Favourites 2007
Favourites 2006
Favourites 2005
I've spoken to Adam and we're hoping to make the thread more cross-media this year. And we hope to run with parallel postings on the Wetpixel Facebook group. So please post here and also share your image there.
We also plan to pull out some of our favourites and make a special Full Frame feature of them on the front page. Adam will edit this - and will be in touch with photographers individual to created a rounded collection.
So, what is my contribution. Well it has been a heavy diving year for me. I have done 325 dives in the last 12 months from Norway to Raja Ampat. But I am going to choose a simple shot from the Red Sea, as I believe it was an original idea for underwater photography (inspired by land wildlife photography), shooting a fish portrait (of a male anthias) in front of large bokeh disks from an underwater sunset.
To get such large circles I had to use an open aperture and shooting into the sun with an open aperture I had to use fast flash synch of 1/1000th sec, achieved by using a housed land flash. I think this is the first time I have chosen a macro photo as my fave!
It was taken (on 9th July) in the Red Sea with my Nikon D4 and 105mm VR lens. Subal ND4 housing. Nikon SB-600 strobe in a Subal flash housing. 1/1000th @ f/5. ISO 125.
This was a tough image to shoot, because the Autofocus does struggle shooting a fast moving fish into the sun. And the patterns in the water are changing really fast. So there was a degree of spray and pray with this one. Here is a video to show how quickly the light patterns change. And then you have to persuade a fish to swim in front of it!
Alex